Greater Storm [Ramos, Dragon Engine Combo]

Commander / EDH*

kylezim

Land (30)

• 1x Arid Mesa
• 1x Bayou
• 1x Bloodstained Mire
• 1x Breeding Pool
• 1x City of Brass
• 1x Command Tower
• 1x Flooded Strand
• 1x Forest
• 1x Gaea's Cradle
• 1x Island
• 1x Marsh Flats
• 1x Misty Rainforest
• 1x Overgrown Tomb
• 1x Plateau
• 1x Polluted Delta
• 1x Sacred Foundry
• 1x Savannah
• 1x Scalding Tarn
• 1x Scrubland
• 1x Stomping Ground
• 1x Swamp
• 1x Taiga
• 1x Temple Garden
• 1x Tropical Island
• 1x Tundra
• 1x Underground Sea
• 1x Verdant Catacombs
• 1x Watery Grave
• 1x Windswept Heath
• 1x Wooded Foothills

Bounce (4)

• 1x Chain of Vapor
• 1x Curfew
• 1x Dream Stalker
• 1x Equilibrium

Spell Recursion (2)

• 1x Regrowth
• 1x Yawgmoth's Will

Utility (2)

• 1x Hardened Scales
• 1x Unspeakable Symbol

Draw (21)

• 1x Abzan Charm
• 1x Brainstorm
• 1x Careful Study
• 1x Dig Through Time
• 1x Esper Charm
• 1x Excavation
• 1x Fact or Fiction
• 1x Frantic Search
• 1x Gush
• 1x Impulse
• 1x Manamorphose
• 1x Ponder
• 1x Preordain
• 1x Serum Visions
• 1x Sleight of Hand
• 1x Sultai Charm
• 1x Temple Bell
• 1x Time Spiral
• 1x Timetwister
• 1x Wheel of Fortune
• 1x Windfall

Combo Core (6)

• 1x Cloudstone Curio
• 1x Greater Good
• 1x Inexorable Tide
• 1x Isochron Scepter
• 1x Jeskai Ascendancy
• 1x Paradox Engine

Removal (6)

• 1x Cyclonic Rift
• 1x Flusterstorm
• 1x Pongify
• 1x Swan Song
• 1x Swords to Plowshares
• 1x Vindicate

Haste Enablers (2)

• 1x Concordant Crossroads
• 1x Mass Hysteria

Untap (1)

• 1x Dramatic Reversal

Commander (1)

Ramp (20)

• 1x Arbor Elf
• 1x Avacyn's Pilgrim
• 1x Birds of Paradise
• 1x Bloom Tender
• 1x Carpet of Flowers
• 1x Deathrite Shaman
• 1x Druid of the Anima
• 1x Elves of Deep Shadow
• 1x Elvish Mystic
• 1x Farseek
• 1x Gyre Sage
• 1x Mana Crypt
• 1x Manaweft Sliver
• 1x Naga Vitalist
• 1x Noble Hierarch
• 1x Rattleclaw Mystic
• 1x Sol Ring
• 1x Sylvan Caryatid
• 1x Utopia Tree
• 1x Wall of Roots

Tutor (3)

• 1x Bring to Light
• 1x Enlightened Tutor
• 1x Wargate

Storm (2)

• 1x Grapeshot
• 1x Tendrils of Agony

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Maybeboard

Other (1)

• 1x Cloudstone Curio

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So this is my tentative first attempt at the general outline for a fast paced combo deck with Ramos. I've broken down some of the interactions below and theory behind the idea. As I see which combo cores and cards work, I'll rotate them out in favor of more counterspells, directed cards, and removal.

The core behind this deck is rotating through your entire deck. Many have used cascade to try and trigger Ramos, Dragon Engine, however I took a different approach. The deck is loaded full with many low-CMC draw and loot effects. Cards like Frantic Search, Brainstorm, Serum Visions, Impulse, and Sleight of Hand allow the constant casting of spells and picking through lands to keep the deck fueled.

We have a few instant triggers for Ramos which will net us 5 counters and 6-7 mana. Jund Charm can deal with specific threats but if the +1/+1 counter mode is chosen Ramos is ready to remove counters and grant us mana. Transguild Courier can be a blocker in a pinch but is mainly used for the counters.

My most successful combo pieces thus far have been Paradox Engine, Greater Good, and Inexorable Tide. Dropping any of there pieces creates an instant threat and possibility of achieving our soft combo. Greater good sacs Ramos in order to recast him and begin adding our counters again, and in the process provides us with huge card advantage. Inexorable Tide gives easy access to mana and counters adding. Our strongest piece is Paradox Engine. With a mana rock or two or a few dorks we can gain access to near infinite amounts of mana as a result of the low CMC-curve. This will only get smoother as larger redundant or ineffective cards are removed in favor of lower CMC cards. Temple Bell has high synergy with Paradox Engine and a simple card change could allow Temple Bell as a win condition.

The standard Dramatic Reversal Isochron Scepter package is included, however I wanted to avoid tutors in this build as it's not meant to be a fully competitive package. We also have a few blink and sac outlets like Cloudshift and Ashnod's Altar in order to remove our commander from the game allowing him to use his ability once more. Isochron Scepter in combination with card draw or blink is very strong in moving the deck forward.

The deck features a few quick counterspells to protect vital gameplay as well as some specific targeted removal. The use of 3 color charms and a strong mana base allows for additional colors in spells thus providing further synergy. Excavation is a very potent enchantment that allows the sacrificing of lands in exchange for card draw if the deck happens to stall out.

If shut down early or the soft combos just aren't coming together then you can attempt to swing for commander damage with Ramos as another effective path to victory. Cloudstone Curio and bounce shenanigans are still being tested, hence the mana dork based mana base, however I think I will switch this in favor of mana rocks. The deck and untap effects just don't seem to work towards the favor of mana dorks without something like Concordant Crossroads. Other routes to victory woulds be casting out a storm win condition as the deck can use Timetwister or Regrowth for multiple storm casts.

Below are a few cards I'm currently on the brink of switching out, however a few more playtests are needed at the moment in order to confirm which route I want to go with the deckCloudstone Curio - Doesn't seem worth it to run a dork mana base over artifacts for this cardBioshift - Not useful unless more +1/+1 synergies are added or if used with Isochron Scepter. Too narrowMayael's Aria - Too slow, wins on upkeep which requires a full turn rotation or instant speed end step play.Reyhan, Last of the Abzan - Not strong enough, not useful early game1x Deadeye Navigator - Too slow and high CMC.

Date added	6 years
Last updated	3 years
Legality	This deck is not Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)	3 - 0 Mythic Rares 56 - 0 Rares 18 - 0 Uncommons 20 - 0 Commons
Cards	100
Avg. CMC	2.29
Tokens	Ape 3/3 G, Bird 2/2 U, Morph 2/2 C
Folders	Cool!, Decks that moist my jables, Saved Decklists